24th Annual Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition

Monday, September 15 – Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel      2660 Woodley Road NW      Washington DC 20008
(202) 328-2000      Fax: (202) 234-5853

   Speakers      Agendas      Transportation   

Confirmed Speakers


Gen C. Robert Kehler | Gen Arthur J. Litche | CMSAF Rodney J. McKinley | Lt Gen Craig R. McKinley |
Lt Gen James G Roudebush | Lt Gen Donald C. Wurster | Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr |
Chaplain (Major General) Cecil R. Richardson

Dr. Ruth David | Mr. James Hagedorn | Mr. Dale Brown | Dr. Neil Daswani | Mr. Michael Vickers |
Mr. Peter Baker | Mr. Napoleon Byars | Amb Peter Chaveas | Dr. Bernard D. Cole |
Col William Drennan, USAF (Ret) | Dr. Rebecca Grant | Dr. Richard Hallion |
Gen Richard Hawley, USAF (Ret) | Dr. Linda Henman | Dr. Howard Hensel | Dr. Nayantara Hensel |
General Ronald Keys, USAF (Ret) | General Richard Myers, USAF (Ret) | Dr. Robert Pape |
General Michael Ryan | Dr. Raymond Tanter


General C. Robert Kehler
Commander, Air Force Space Command

Gen. C. Robert "Bob" Kehler is Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. He is responsible for the development, acquisition and operation of the Air Force's space and missile systems. He leads more than 39,700 space professionals who provide combat forces and capabilities to North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Strategic Command. General Kehler entered the Air Force in 1975 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program. He has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels, and has a broad range of operational and command tours in ICBM operations, space launch, space operations, missile warning and space control. . As Director of the National Security Space Office, he integrated the activities of a number of space organizations on behalf of the Under Secretary of the Air Force and Director, National Reconnaissance Office. Most recently, as Deputy Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, he helped provide the President and Secretary of Defense with a broad range of strategic capabilities and options for the joint warfighter through several diverse mission areas, including space operations, integrated missile defense, computer network operations and global strike.

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General Arthur J. Lichte
Commander, Air Mobility Command

Gen. Arthur J. Lichte is Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Air Mobility Command's mission is to provide rapid, global mobility and sustainment for America's armed forces. The command also plays a crucial role in providing humanitarian support at home and around the world. General Lichte hails from The Bronx, N.Y., where he graduated from Cardinal Spellman High School and entered the Air Force in 1971 as a distinguished graduate of Manhattan College's ROTC program. During his Air Force career, General Lichte has held command positions at squadron, group and wing levels. He is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours in various aircraft. Prior to assuming his current position, General Lichte served as Assistant Vice Chief of Staff and Director, Air Force Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for Air Staff organization and administration, served as Deputy Chairman of the Air Force Council, and was the Air Force accreditation official for the Corps of Air Attachés.

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Chief Master Sergeant
Rodney J. McKinley

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Rodney J. McKinley represents the highest enlisted level of leadership, and as such, provides direction for the enlisted corps and represents their interests, as appropriate, to the American public, and to those in all levels of government. He serves as the personal adviser to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force. Chief McKinley is the 15th chief master sergeant appointed to the highest noncommissioned officer position. Chief McKinley originally entered the Air Force in 1974, took a break in service in 1977, and re-entered the Air Force in 1982. His background includes various duties in medical and aircraft maintenance, and as a first sergeant and command chief master sergeant at wing, numbered air force and major command levels. The chief served overseas in the Philippines, Italy and Germany, and deployed to Southwest Asia in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Before assuming his current position, he served as Command Chief Master Sergeant, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. He was appointed to the position of Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force on June 30, 2006.

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Lt Gen Craig R. McKinley
Director, Air National Guard

Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley is Director, Air National Guard. The general is responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, plans and programs affecting more than 106,800 Guard members in more than 88 flying units and 200 geographically separated units throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. He has served in numerous assignments in flying and operations, as well as command positions at group, wing, sector and field operating agency levels. He has also served as Commander, 1st Air Force, Air Combat Command, and Commander, Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. General McKinley is a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours, primarily in the T-38, F-106, F-16 and F-15. Additionally, General McKinley has been pilot in command in the C-131 and C-130 Operational Support Airlift aircraft.

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Lt Gen James G Roudebush
Surgeon General of the Air Force

Lt. Gen. (Dr.) James G. Roudebush is the Surgeon General of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. General Roudebush serves as functional manager of the U.S. Air Force Medical Service. In this capacity, he advises the Secretary of the Air Force and Air Force Chief of Staff, as well as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs on matters pertaining to the medical aspects of the air expeditionary force and the health of Air Force people. The general entered the Air Force in 1975 after receiving a Bachelor of Medicine degree from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Nebraska College Of Medicine. The general commanded a wing clinic and wing hospital before becoming Deputy Commander of the Air Force Materiel Command Human Systems Center. He has served as Command Surgeon for U.S. Central Command, Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Transportation Command and Headquarters Air Mobility Command. Prior to his selection as the 19th Surgeon General, he served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the U.S. Air Force.

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Lt Gen Donald C. Wurster
Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command

Lt. Gen. Donald C. Wurster is Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. The command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force component of U.S. Special Operations Command. AFSOC provides Air Force Special Operations Forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to unified combatant commanders. Born in Washington, D.C., General Wurster was commissioned in 1973 upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. He has commanded special operations forces at the squadron, group, wing and subunified command level, and he served as commander of all U.S. forces assigned to Joint Task Force-510 during Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines. Prior to his current assignment, the general was Vice Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command. General Wurster is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours, including assignments in both rescue and special operations.

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Lt General Charles E. Stenner Jr
Chief of Air Force Reserve and Commander of Air Force Reserve Command

Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr was approved by the Senate on June 4, 2008 to receive a third star and take over as Chief of Air Force Reserve and Commander of Air Force Reserve Command. General Stenner, who has been assistant deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs since July 2006, will formally assume his new posts during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on June 24. In his previous position General Stenner assisted in the development, integration, evaluation and analysis of the U.S. Air Force Future Years Defense Program that exceeds $682 billion, as well as the Air Force long-range plan to support national security objectives and military strategy. General Stenner was commissioned a second lieutenant upon completing Officer Training School in 1973. He has served in various operational and staff assignments, including duty as an F-4C/D pilot, an F-16C pilot and an A-10 instructor pilot and operations officer. He has commanded four operations groups and two fighter wings. The general is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours in the F-4, A-10 and F-16.

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Chaplain (Major General) Cecil R. Richardson
Air Force Chief of Chaplains

Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Cecil R. Richardson is Chief of Chaplains, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. As a member of the special staff of the Chief of Staff, he advises on all matters pertaining to the religious and moral welfare of Air Force personnel. As Chief of Chaplains, he is the senior pastor for more than 800,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. He leads an Air Force Chaplain Service of approximately 2,200 chaplains and chaplain assistants from the active and Air Reserve components. Chaplain Richardson began his career as an enlisted intercept operator and Russian interpreter. He has experience as an assignments officer, major command division chief and as Executive Director of the Armed Forces Chaplains Board. He later served as Command Chaplain for both the U.S. Central Command and Air Combat Command. Prior to his present position, he served as the Deputy Chief of Air Force Chaplains.

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Dr. Ruth David
President & CEO, Analytic Services, Inc. (ANSER)

Dr. Ruth David is the president and chief executive officer of Analytic Services Inc., a non-profit research institute serving the national security, homeland security and public safety communities. She initiated a strategic focus on homeland security in 1999 and established the ANSER Institute for Homeland Security in April 2001. Analytic Services currently operates both the ANSER business units and a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, the Homeland Security Institute. Dr. David is a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, first established to advise the President, and now advising the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. From 1995 to 1998, Dr. David was Deputy Director for Science and Technology at the Central Intelligence Agency. Prior to that, she served in several leadership positions at Sandia National Laboratories, where she began her professional career in 1975. Dr. David received a B.S. degree Wichita State University, an M.S. degree from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. Stanford University.

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Mr. James Hagedorn
CEO & Chairman of the Board of The Scott’s Company

James Hagedorn is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of The Scotts Company. Mr. Hagedorn has played a crucial role in helping to achieve record performance during his tenure with Scotts. During his 7 years with Scotts, sales have more than doubled to a record $1.7 billion. Mr. Hagedorn joined Scotts in 1995 as Senior Vice President, Consumer Gardens Group, when the company merged with Stern’s Miracle-Gro Products, Inc. At Miracle-Gro, Mr. Hagedorn had served as Executive Vice President and was a major architect of Miracle-Gro’s success both in the US and in the UK. Mr. Hagedorn is a graduate of The Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program and holds a degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Mr. Hagedorn served in the United States Air Force for seven years and was an F-16 fighter pilot.

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Mr. Dale Brown
Best Selling Author

Dale Brown is the superstar author of twenty action-adventure “techno-thriller” novels including: EDGE OF BATTLE (2006), STRIKE FORCE (2007), and SHADOW COMMAND (2008). Fourteen of his novels have been New York Times best-sellers. He is also the writer and technical consultant of the Act of War PC real-time strategy game and the Megafortress PC flight simulator. Dale was born in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Penn State University and received an Air Force commission in 1978. He was a navigator-bombardier in the B-52G Stratofortress heavy bomber and the FB-111A supersonic medium bomber, and is the recipient of the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Combat Crew Award, and the Marksmanship ribbon. Dale was also one of the nation's first Air Force ROTC cadets to qualify for and complete the grueling three-week U.S. Army Airborne Infantry paratrooper training course. He was also an Air Force instructor on aircrew life support and combat survival, evasion, resistance, and escape. He is a multi-engine and instrument-rated private pilot and can often be found in the skies all across the United States, piloting his own plane.

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Dr. Neil Daswani
Security Program Manager, Google, Inc.

Neil Daswani, PhD, has served in a variety of research, development, teaching, and managerial roles at Google, Stanford University, Yodlee, and Telcordia Technologies (formerly Bellcore). His areas of expertise include security, peer-to-peer systems, and wireless data technology. He has published extensively in these areas, he frequently gives talks at industry and academic conferences, and he has been granted several US patents. He received a PhD in computer science from Stanford University. He also holds a MS in computer science from Stanford University, and a BS in computer science with honors with distinction from Columbia University. Neil is also the lead author of "Foundations of Security: What Every Programmer Needs To Know" (published by Apress)

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Mr. Michael G. Vickers
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict & Interdependent Capabilities)

Michael G. Vickers was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict & Interdependent Capabilities on July 23, 2007. He is the senior civilian advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense on the capabilities and operational employment of special operations forces, strategic forces, and conventional forces. He is also the senior civilian advisor on strategic policy, counterterrorism strategy, irregular warfare, and force transformation. Prior to his current assignment Mr. Vickers served as Senior Vice President, Strategic Studies, at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He also was a senior advisor to the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, and Executive Director of the QDR “Red Team,” which provided an assessment of the QDR for the Deputy Secretary and Vice Chairman. From 1973 to 1986, Mr. Vickers served as an Army Special Forces Non-Commissioned Officer, Special Forces Officer, and CIA Operations Officer. During the mid-1980s, Mr. Vickers was the principal strategist for the largest covert action program in the CIA’s history: the paramilitary operation that drove the Soviet army out of Afghanistan. Mr. Vickers received his B.A., with honors, from the University of Alabama and holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

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Mr. Peter Baker
Reporter & Author, The Washington Post

Peter Baker is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine based in Washington and focused on the White House. He previously served as a White House correspondent for The Washington Post for seven years, covering President Bill Clinton's second term and later President George W. Bush's second term. In between stints at the White House, Baker and his wife, Susan B. Glasser, were Moscow Bureau Chiefs for nearly four years. Among other stories, Baker covered the Moscow theater siege, the Beslan school takeover and the war in Chechnya. During that time, Baker also covered the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and reported from throughout Central Asia and the Middle East. He was the first American newspaper reporter to enter Afghanistan after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and he embedded with the Marines’ commanding general on the road to Baghdad. Baker is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Breach: Inside the Impeachment and Trial of William Jefferson Clinton (Scribner, 2000), and, with Glasser, of Kremlin Rising: Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the End of Revolution (Scribner, 2005).

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Mr. Napoleon Byars
Assistant Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of North Carolina

Napoleon Byars is an Assistant Professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined the School in July 2005. Previously he was the director of policy and communications for the Air Force Association (AFA) in Arlington, Va. He oversaw all facets of AFA communications including media relations, marketing, Web site operations, planning for national conferences and symposia, and the writing of national security policy papers. Prior to joining AFA, Byars was president of Creative Communications Works, a public relations consulting company in Fairfax, Va. Before entering the private sector, Byars was a lieutenant colonel and public affairs officer in the U.S. Air Force. He has a broad background in government communications that includes serving as public affairs officer to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon and deputy publisher for Pacific Stars and Stripes daily newspaper in Tokyo.

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Ambassador Peter Chaveas
Director, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University

Ambassador Chaveas was named Director to the Africa Center at the National Defense Univeristy in December, 2006. He joined the Africa Center in 2004 as Deputy Director after retiring from the U.S. Foreign Service. He possesses more than 35 years of U.S. Government experience. His last Foreign Service assignment was as Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone. He has also served as Ambassador to the Republic of Malawi. He was the Director of the Office of West African Affairs and the Director of the Office of Southern African Affairs at the Department of State. Ambassador Chaveas also possesses previous experience with the Department of Defense, having served as the Political Advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Armed Forces in Europe. Ambassador Chaveas was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned a Bachelor of Arts (with honors) from Denison University and a Master of Arts from Rutgers University

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Dr. Bernard D. Cole
Professor of International History, National War College

Dr. Bernard D. Cole (Captain, USN, Ret.) is Professor of International History at the National War College in Washington, D.C., where he concentrates on the Chinese military and Asian energy issues. He previously served 30 years as a Surface Warfare Officer in the Navy, all in the Pacific. Dr. Cole commanded a frigate, USS RATHBURNE, and Destroyer Squadron 35. He served as a Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer with the THIRD Marine Division in Vietnam, and as Special Assistant to the CNO for Expeditionary Warfare. Dr. Cole has written numerous articles and five books: Gunboats and Marines: The U.S. Navy in China; The Great Wall at Sea: China's Navy Enters the 21st Century; Oil for the Lamps of China: Beijing's 21st Century Search for Energy; Taiwan’s Security: History and Prospects, and Sealanes and Pipelines: Energy Security in Asia. Dr. Cole earned an A.B. in History from the University of North Carolina, an M.P.A. (National Security Affairs) from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in History from Auburn University.

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Col William Drennan,
USAF (Ret)

Col. William M. Drennan, USAF (Ret.) is a consultant specializing in Korea Peninsula security and in open source intelligence. From 1998 to 2004 he was a program officer and later the deputy director of research and studies at the United States Institute of Peace. His last military assignment was as a senior military fellow at the National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies. Prior to that he was professor of national security policy at the National War College. From 1990 to 1991 he was a Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. He was stationed in Korea from 1988 to 1990 as the chief of the strategy and policy division, J-5, U.S. Forces Korea. In the mid-1980s he served as a squadron commander at ATC Headquarters, and later deputy commander for operations, 64th Flying Training Wing, Reese AFB. From 1981 to 1984 he served in the White House as Air Force Aide to President Reagan. A command pilot, he has 3500 flying hours, including over 800 in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and the National War College. He has a Master’s degree from Georgetown University, and has done doctoral work at The Catholic University of America.

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Dr. Rebecca Grant
President, IRIS Independent Research

Rebecca Grant is President of IRIS Independent Research, which she founded in 1995. Recent IRIS Independent Research projects include an examination of the “War of 9/11” and how it has transformed America’s air and space weaponry, an analysis of air and space power during the second Gulf War, and a study on the F/A-22. She is the author of The B-2 Goes to War (2001) and The Radar Game (1999) as well as several magazine articles on aspects of aerospace power. Dr. Grant is also a fellow of the Eaker Institute of Aerospace Concepts, the public policy and research arm of the Air Force Association. Previously, Grant worked in the operations group of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force as well as for the Secretary of the Air Force.

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Dr. Richard Hallion
Alfred Verville Fellow, National Air and Space Museum, Aeronautics Department

Dr. Richard P. Hallion was the Senior Adviser for Air and Space Issues, Directorate for Security, Counterintelligence and Special Programs Oversight, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, DC, prior to his retirement in November 2006. He was responsible for analysis and insight regarding the conceptualization, evolution and utilization of sensitive national technological programs and related subject areas. Dr. Hallion holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Maryland. He has broad experience in science and technology museum development, research and management analysis, and has served as a consultant to various professional organizations. He has flown as a mission observer in a range of military and civilian fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. Dr. Hallion is the author and editor of numerous books relating to aerospace technology and military operations, as well as articles and essays for a variety of professional journals. He also teaches and lectures widely.

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Gen Richard Hawley,
USAF (Ret)

Gen. Richard E. Hawley retired in 1999 as the commander of Air Combat Command with headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, VA. The command organizes, trains, equips and maintains combat-ready forces for rapid deployment and employment while ensuring strategic air defense forces are ready to meet the challenges of peacetime air sovereignty and wartime defense. The general entered the Air Force in 1964 following graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy. Prior to this assignment, he was commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Allied Air Forces Central Europe with headquarters at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He also commanded an Air Force group, a wing and U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force, with headquarters at Yokota Air Base, Japan. He served as a forward air controller at Pleiku Air Base, South Vietnam, where he flew 433 combat missions.

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Dr. Linda Henman
President, Henman Performance Group

Dr. Linda Henman speaks from experience. For more than 30 years, she has helped executives and boards of directors in military organizations, small businesses, and Fortune 500 Companies improve performance. Some of her clients include Tyson Foods, Emerson Electric, Nestles, Kraft, the US Air Force, and Boeing. Linda is president and founder of Henman Performance Group, a consulting firm that specializes in strategy formulation, organizational development, succession planning, and leadership effectiveness. She holds a Ph.D. in organizational systems, two Master of Arts degrees in both interpersonal communication and organization development, and Bachelor of Science in communication. Much of her success can be attributed to her exceptional ability to collaborate with senior leaders to help them get to the heart of what is holding the organization back. By combining her experience as an organizational consultant with her education in business, she offers her clients solutions that are pragmatic in their approach and sound in their foundation.

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Dr. Howard M. Hensel
Professor, Air War College

Dr. Howard M. Hensel has been a Professor on the faculty of the Air War College since 1986 and currently serves as the Deputy Chair and Course Director for the Department of Strategy and Leadership. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Hensel has served in previous years as the Academic Director of the Air War College's Electives Program , Director of Strategy, Director of International Security Studies, and Director of Soviet Studies. He received his B.A. degree in history from Texas A&M University, his M.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, and his PhD in government from the University of Virginia. Before joining the faculty of the Air War College, Dr. Hensel served as Visiting Professor of National Security Affairs at the Air Command and Staff College. His areas of specialization include: international relations, comparative government, Russian/Soviet area studies, military history and strategy, political philosophy, and the law of armed conflict.

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Dr. Nayantara Hensel
Assistant Professor of Finance and Economics, Naval Postgraduate School

Dr. Nayantara Hensel is an Assistant Professor of Economics and Finance at the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at the US Naval Postgraduate School. She received her B.A. from Harvard University. She received her M. A. and Ph.D. in Business Economics also from Harvard University. Prior to joining the faculty at the US Naval Postgraduate School, Dr. Hensel served as a Senior Manager at Ernst & Young, LLP and the chief economist for one of its units, was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, taught at Harvard University and the Stern School of Business at NYU, and was an economist at NERA (part of Marsh & McLennan). Dr Hensel has conducted research on the impact of defense mergers on cost efficiencies, the involvement of the Department of Defense in venture capital, the determinants of discount rates for military personnel, the impact of online auctions on IPO pricing efficiency, and the impact of size and market structure on efficiency (economies of scale) in European and Japanese banks.

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General Ronald Keys
USAF (Ret)

Gen. Ronald E. Keys retired in 2007 as the Commander, Air Combat Command, with headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, Va., and Air Component Commander for U.S. Joint Forces Command. General Keys, a distinguished graduate of Kansas State University's ROTC program, was commissioned in 1967 and is an outstanding graduate of undergraduate pilot training. He has commanded a fighter squadron, the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, an F-15 wing, an A/OA-10 and F-16 wing, the Combat Air Forces Operational Test and Evaluation Wing, a numbered air force, and Allied Air Forces Southern Europe. Additionally, General Keys was the first commander of the Air Force Doctrine Center, and he has served as an executive assistant to the Air Force Chief of Staff and to an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Prior to his current assignment, he was Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. General Keys is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours, including more than 300 hours of combat time in Southeast Asia.

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General Richard Myers
USAF (Ret)

Gen. Richard B. Myers retired in 2005 as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he served as the principal military adviser to the President, the Secretary of Defense and the National Security Council. General Myers joined the Air Force in 1965 through the ROTC program at Kansas State University. He entered pilot training in June 1965 at Vance Air Force Base, Okla. A command pilot, he has more than 4,100 flying hours, primarily in the F-4, F-15 and F-16, including 600 combat hours in the F-4. The General has commanded at all levels and served in significant staff positions throughout the Air Force. His largest commands included U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base, Japan; Pacific Air Forces at Hickam AFB, Hawaii; and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Space Command and Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo.

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Dr. Robert A. Pape
Professor, Political Science, University of Chicago

Robert A. Pape is Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago specializing in international security affairs. His most recent book is Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. His commentary on international security policy has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, New Republic, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and Bulletin of Atomic Scientists as well as on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Nightline, ABC News, CNN’S Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper and Lou Dobbs, Fox’s John Gipson, CNN International, and NPR. Before coming to Chicago in 1999, he taught international relations at Dartmouth College for five years and air power strategy for the USAF's School of Advanced Airpower Studies for three years. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pittsburgh. His current work focuses on suicide terrorism, the logic of soft balancing in a unipolar world, and the limits and advantages of precision air power.

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General Michael E. Ryan
USAF (Ret.)

General Michael E. Ryan retired in 2001 as the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. As Chief, he served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipage of 700,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. The general entered the Air Force after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has commanded at the squadron, wing, numbered air force and major command levels. He flew combat in Southeast Asia, including 100 missions over North Vietnam. He also served in staff assignments at the major command level, Headquarters U.S. Air Force and the Joint Staff. As Commander of 16th Air Force and Allied Air Forces Southern Europe in Italy, he directed the NATO air combat operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina which directly contributed to the Dayton Peace Accords. Before becoming the Chief of Staff, the general was Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe, with headquarters at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

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Dr. Raymond Tanter
Professor, Political Science, Georgetown University

Dr. Raymond Tanter, a professor of political science at Georgetown University, is an adjunct scholar of The Washington Institute, researching U.S. policy options toward Iran. From 1981 to 1982, Dr. Tanter served on the National Security Council staff and was personal representative of the Secretary of Defense to the 1983-1984 arms control talks held in Madrid, Helsinki, Stockholm, and Vienna. Currently, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. At Georgetown, he teaches courses on the Arab-Israeli conflict, international security affairs, and ballistic missile defense. Dr. Tanter's recent publications include Classifying Evil: Bush Administration Rhetoric and Policy toward Rogue Regimes (The Washington Institute, 2003), Rogue Regimes: Terrorism and Proliferation (St. Martin's, 1999), and Balancing in the Balkans, coauthored with John Psarouthakis (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999).

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Page last updated on: Thursday, July 17, 2008 3:55:23 PM










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